[Edaily Starin KIM HYUNSIK Reporter] The group BTS has been nominated for “Song of the Year” at the “2026 MTV Video Music Awards” (2026 MTV VMAs) for their new song “SWIM.”

On the 18th (local time), the "MTV VMA" organizers announced the list of nominees for this year’s awards ceremony, which will take place on the 27th of next month at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles (LA), via their official website.
According to the announcement, BTS has been nominated in two categories—“Song of the Year” and “Best K-Pop”—for “SWIM.”
“Song of the Year” is one of the major categories at the “MTV VMAs,” alongside “Artist of the Year” and “Video of the Year.” Last year, BLACKPINK’s Rosé became the first K-pop artist to win the “Song of the Year” award for her hit song “APT.”
The nominees for “Song of the Year” at the “2026 MTV VMAs” include BTS’s “Swim,” as well as “Golden” from the Netflix animated series *K-Pop Demon Hunters* OST, Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas,” Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter’s “Bring Your Love,” Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need,” Pink Pantheress’s “Stateside,” and Ray’s “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!”
In the “Best K-Pop” category, nominees included BTS’s “Swim,” BLACKPINK’s “JUMP,” Curtis’s “REDRED,” Cat’s Eye’s “Pinky Up,” LE SSERAFIM’s “SPAGHETTI,” and BLACKPINK’s Lisa’s “Dream.”
BLACKPINK’s Lisa became the K-pop artist with the most nominations. Lisa is also nominated for “Best Pop,” “Best Cinematography,” and “Best Editing,” bringing her total to four nominations.
Cortis and Cat’s Eye were also included on the nominee lists for “Best New Artist” and “Best Choreography,” respectively.
In addition, BLACKPINK’s Jisoo was nominated in the “Best Visual Effects” category for her collaboration with former One Direction member Jane, titled “Eyes Closed.”
The “MTV VMAs” are an annual awards ceremony hosted by the music channel MTV since 1984. Along with the “Grammy Awards,” “Billboard Music Awards,” and “American Music Awards,” they are considered one of the four major pop music awards ceremonies in the United States. Fan voting is conducted for all categories except for technical categories such as cinematography, editing, and choreography.